Removable storage devices have become so much integrated into our daily computing lives that it's almost impossible to get by without one. Thanks to plug and play interconnect technologies like USB, removable storage devices enjoyed a pretty quick adoption rate, to the point that devices like ZIP drives have almost been wiped out entirely. Today, we see almost every user employing USB memory sticks to store their files, whether for work or entertainment purposes.

Solid state storage devices are light and easy to carry around, but they lack the most important element - capacity. Although semiconductor technology is moving at a really fast pace, it has not yet caught up with maganetic technology, such as hard drives. Recently, Samsung has demonstrated their latest NAND Flash technology and they are already planning to ship USB memory sticks equipped with as much as 4GB of storage capacity. Until that happens, magnetic disk technology will continue to dominate the portable form factor storage market.

Today, we have here with us Seagate's latest 1.0-inch hard disk drive which is known as the ST1. The drive has a capacity of up to 5.0GB, spins at 3600RPM and integrated into the drive itself, you'll find a 2MB cache that helps to boost its transfer rate performance. The ST1 is installed inside a cute UFO-shaped plastic case that comes with a USB controller for easy plug and play purposes. It's USB 2.0 compatible, so you can expect to take advantage of the 480Mbps bandwidth although it's still compatible with older PCs with slower USB 1.0/1.1 interface.

The clean circular design of the Seagate pocket hard drive.

The back portion of the pocket drive with rubber linings near the edges.

Before we go in-depth, let's have a look at the drive's technical specifications below:-

Seagate 5.0GB Pocket Hard Drive Technical Specifications

Model No.

ST650211U-RK

Interface

USB 2.0 (backward compatible with USB 1.0/1.1)

Capacity

5.0GB

Rotational Speed

3600RPM

Buffer Size

2MB

Sequential Read/Write Performance

4Mb/sec to 7Mb/sec (typical)

Operating Temperature

0 to 40°C

Acoustics

2.2 bels (typical)

Power Requirements

USB powered (5V DC)

Weight

<65g

Operating System Support

Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE and Mac OS 9.2.2 or later

The drive is no larger than 7cm (about 2.5-inches) in diameter and weighs no more than 65g (2.3 ounces).